Overview
- Special Judge Vishal Gogne rejected discharge pleas and said Lalu Prasad Yadav and close aides operated a criminal enterprise that leveraged the Railway Ministry to secure properties.
- Charges were framed under the Prevention of Corruption Act and IPC provisions for cheating and criminal conspiracy, with Lalu facing corruption counts and several family members charged with cheating and conspiracy.
- The court discharged 52 accused and proceeded against several dozen others, noting that proceedings had abated for five who died and that the CBI originally named around 103 people.
- According to the CBI, Group-D jobs between 2004 and 2009 were granted in exchange for land parcels transferred to Yadav family members or linked entities at below-market prices, bypassing recruitment norms.
- Formal trial steps are scheduled later in January, a separate ED money-laundering probe continues, and the accused deny the allegations as politically motivated.